Donald Trump Just Crossed a New Line in American Politics

So this just happened…

Looking for news you can trust?Subscribe to our free newsletters.

Hours before voters go to the polls in New Hampshire, Donald Trump turned to the topic of waterboarding at a rally in Manchester. As he began to recount how Ted Cruz had squeamishly addressed the issue during Saturday’s debate, a shout came from the audience. Trump froze with a slight grin. And then this happened.

“She just said a terrible thing, you know what she said? Shout it out because I don’t want to say,” Trump said, clearly amused. As the woman repeated it, Trump pretended to be offended. “Psshh…you’re not allowed to say that, and I never expect to hear that from you again.” And then:

Another 1st in US political history. After Trump mocks Cruz on torture he repeats what woman shouts: “She said, ‘He’s a pussy.” Yes, he did

His exact quote: “You’re not allowed to say, and I never expect to hear that from you again, she said, ‘He’s a pussy,’ that’s terrible.”

As chants of “Trump! Trump! Trump!” broke out, the real estate mogul returned to the podium.

“What kind of people do I have here?” he said, to laughter, and then recalled getting flak for not condemning supporters who said offensive things about President Barack Obama. “The press got very angry because I didn’t defend the president, and I didn’t reprimand the person who said it. So, I just want to tell you, ma’am, you’re reprimanded, okay?”

So, that’s part of the political conversation now.

FACT:

Mother Jones was founded as a nonprofit in 1976 because we knew corporations and the wealthy wouldn't fund the type of hard-hitting journalism we set out to do.

Today, reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget, allows us to dig deep on stories that matter, and lets us keep our reporting free for everyone. If you value what you get from Mother Jones, please join us with a tax-deductible donation today so we can keep on doing the type of journalism 2019 demands.